Chris Ibacache
36 Reviews
Reviews
When Sorrow Comes
An interesting storyline, even though I personally am sick to death of the "End of the world" genre. Some nice acting moments and great cinematography. A big fan of the port hills scene and probably the main reason I put it in my Top 3. Great technical aspects, but the story could have used some fresh perspective on the End of the World genre. Solid effort though.
Lost Property
I think I remember this team/team members from last year. This year they really stepped up their game. While I was not really a fan of the acting, it looked quite nice in parts and had some really interesting shots/effects. It also had some funny jokes throughout it, which is appreciated since they didn't go 100% for the crime idea which would have been contrived. Ultimately, despite being one of the more visually interesting films of Heat 6, the story or delivery of it didn't pack enough of an original punch for me to truly love it. But good effort from Filmosophic Pictures.
Rock Bottom - The Rise and Fall of Obsidian
The rock puns in this were really hilarious and the J-Lo joke had me laughing but I found it hard to take seriously. The story line followed literally 'the rise and fall'. I also didn't understand the decision to fade in and fade out of every shot. Great effort and I see the potential here though for future efforts :)
The Lovatory
Definitely a nice little film with really strong acting. I agree in that the beginning was quite drawn out and unnecessary. I thought it was going to be a love story about two toilet bowls! But all in all it was a cute wee film that was fun to watch.
An idea is born
I have absolutely fallen in love with this teams heart and dedication to the competition ever since their film "Untimely". Super crazy, random film that was definitely interesting to watch. I'm sure we will hear about it in the future too! I can't wait to see your film next year!
#girlgonecrazy
#girlgonecrazy had some parts that were quite funny. The scene where she jumped on the car killed me! They definitely get points for adding in humour throughout it. However I get a bit disappointed when someone goes straight for the "Obsessive Relationship" genre. I understand its in the title of the genre, but it pays off to think outside of the box. This is where the film fell a bit short for me. While a humorous approach to a crazy obsessive relationship, the story was barebones and a basic obsessive relationship (Like Fatal Attraction). The 'helicopter' shot was super impressive. Technically it was great. But I wanted more from the story.
Lost Property
I think I remember this team/team members from last year. This year they really stepped up their game. While I was not really a fan of the acting, it looked quite nice in parts and had some really interesting shots/effects. It also had some funny jokes throughout it, which is appreciated since they didn't go 100% for the crime idea which would have been contrived. Ultimately, despite being one of the more visually interesting films of Heat 6, the story or delivery of it didn't pack enough of an original punch for me to truly love it. But good effort from Filmosophic Pictures.
The Shirt
While definitely a major step up from their film last year, this film didn't do it for me in terms of its story and execution. The story felt a little tired playing out on the typical films like Sin City, and the drawings felt a little rough and slapped together. There was really no animation to the illustrations and it looked like not much care went into it. I will say it nailed the surprise ending genre suite well though!
Pronoia
I was really impressed by the acting of the main girl. She was fantastic! I actually enjoyed the film and thought it was quite entertaining despite the ending which I found a little underwhelming. A shame it was disqualified. I could definitely see a nomination for the female lead.
Waiting
This film I was not a fan of. While the camera work and acting were impressive, I found the story and overall tone of the film to be very schmaltzy and trying a bit too hard to tug on the heart strings of the audience. I felt like I was watching an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in its blatant grabs to make the audience feel something with the faux emotional script and token sad music. A bit bummed this managed to snag its way into third place in Audience Favourite over a couple of other deserving films. With all that said, the technical aspects and acting was solid.
When Sorrow Comes
An interesting storyline, even though I personally am sick to death of the "End of the world" genre. Some nice acting moments and great cinematography. A big fan of the port hills scene and probably the main reason I put it in my Top 3. Great technical aspects, but the story could have used some fresh perspective on the End of the World genre. Solid effort though.
Self Rising!
Great way to start the heat. The gingerbread men were great, unfortunately they weren't utilised as much as they could have been. The acting was great, but it took a long time to hit on the horror aspects of the film and ultimately the pay off wasn't worth it. Great effort though and definitely a crowd pleaser.
Tight Package
Definitely enjoyed this short film. Had a strong story and did the genre well. The editing and pacing could have been tighter and made the race against the clock a bit more urgent but nevertheless it was a polished film with great cinematography and cool effects at the end.
Paper Girl
This was a cute film. Nice way to end the night. Great acting, nice looking and the paper effect was really cool. The ending was a bit abrupt for my liking and a bit of a build up for the end would have been nice but it was definitely one of the stronger films of the heat.
Bearly: A Revenge Movie
Awesome short film. Loved the story and different changes of lighting throughout. Original concept and well executed. My only gripe was with the audio. It didn't sound great and I feel it could have benefited from a bit of cleaner and crisper audio. But all in all I enjoyed it a lot. Great job!
Clock
I'm gonna be honest, I did not get this film. The narrative was all over the place and the voiceover confused me. I don't think I was the only one who felt that way... Visually however, it looked great. They put a lot of thought into the cinematography of the whole thing which really paid off. I wish they spent more time on the script!
Listen to Leaf
Entertaining concept of a band mockumentary. I wasn't a fan of how loosely interpreted the "Urban Legend" genre was. However, there were some funny moments here and there and some cool camera work.
Positive
I didn't love this film and I don't really get the hype. First off, the good... The music was great... it worked with the film awesomely. It was well shot and the slow motion looked great and done properly. However, it was very gimmicky... it screamed like it was baiting to be in the finals and it didn't feel 100% authentic to me. The storyline was paper thin and the gimmick of playing in reverse wore thin before the halfway point. I look forward to future efforts by this team though. Everything was there to produce a great film but this year it didn't really hit it out of the park for me.
Untimely
Loved this purely for the fact of how fun it looked to make. There were a lot of laughs. Probably unintentional laughs, but nevertheless I found it hilarious. It looked fun to make and a sweet family project. An interesting way to open Heat 5, and aside from a couple of the strong films in this heat this is the main one I remember.
Axiom
While the acting was somewhat decent from the main actress, the film felt too melodramatic and the story was confused and muddled in what it wanted to say. The story felt like it was rushed out at the last minute and the overall film seemed a bit juvenile in its execution and like high school students trying to put on an adult production with adult themes. I was impressed with the look of the film and thought that was done well though.
Continuum
The effects were great definitely polished but the film had quite a few audio issues and I could not follow the plot at all. Did not appreciate the constant use of homophobic slurs either. Very classless and bogan. Good effort on the effects though.
Fruende
Ending was interesting but major audio issues for this one. On top of one of the lead actors accent, the audio was poor and made it hard for me to truly connect with it. Some great stylistic shots in this one but it had potential to really be more than it ultimately was.
Untimely
Loved this purely for the fact of how fun it looked to make. There were a lot of laughs. Probably unintentional laughs, but nevertheless I found it hilarious. It looked fun to make and a sweet family project. An interesting way to open Heat 5, and aside from a couple of the strong films in this heat this is the main one I remember.
The Impotence of Hard Times
Amazingly shot, well acted. The Eh Team never fail to deliver a good final product. My issue with this film was the lack of heart and emotional connection with the main character. We are meant to feel sorry for him but we dont... and ultimately it doesnt really pay off in the end. Great effects with the Hard-X guy, had some good laughs... It will of course make the finals but the heart was missing in this one for me. 'Is Love Enough?' took it all!
Repent
Great film from this team. Last years 'Bearly' was one of my favourites and this one was pretty good too. It took awhile to get into it, but by the time shes 'sinning' and trying to live a bad life it definitely hit its stride. The ending was a bit disappointing and it could have been stronger without the God part at the end as it was a bit out of tone with the rest of the film but I was definitely entertained. It got one of my votes for the night.